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The Man Who Stole the Gods

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What to expect

An unbelievable table of greed, looted treasures and stolen history in the world's biggest art heist.


In the shattered aftermath of Cambodia’s civil war, temples that had stood for centuries were found ransacked - sacred sculptures hacked from pedestals, towering statues of Hindu gods and priceless relics of the Khmer Empire vanished. At the centre of this vast plunder, British expatriate Douglas Latchford, whose decades-long obsession fuelled one of the most audacious cultural thefts of modern times.

From the Killing Fields of the Khmer Rouge to the marble galleries of New York and London and the private collections of the rich and famous, The Man Who Stole the Gods unravels a breathtaking story of power, greed and corruption, and asks what you take from a nation when you steal its past.

Drawing on years of investigation and exclusive access to the stories’ key players – from temple looters and traffickers to the investigators and archaeologists fighting to bring masterpieces home – award-winning writer Matthew Campbell reveals how the treasures of one of the world’s greatest civilizations were stolen, sold and finally found.

'An adventure to rival David Grann’s Lost City of Z, and a riveting exposé of the plunder that still fills the world’s top art museums' Zeke Faux, author or Number Go Up

'Immaculately researched and beautifully written, a gripping real-life exposé of the ugly deals that underpin the trade in beautiful objects' Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland

From the author of Dead in the Water, called 'a masterpiece' by the New York Times

© Matthew Campbell 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Critics Review

An adventure to rival David Grann’s Lost City of Z, and a riveting exposé of the plunder that still fills the world’s top art museums
author of Number Go Up
Immaculately researched and beautifully written, The Man Who Stole the Gods is a gripping real-life exposé of the ugly deals that underpin the trade in beautiful objects
author of Moneyland
An epic tale of art, war, and crime, The Man Who Stole the Gods unspools a sprawling conspiracy of tomb raiders, art dealers, and museum curators, with one elusive expatriate at the heart of it all. Campbell brings the story to life with brisk pacing, an instinct for drama, and a firm grasp of the moral and historical stakes
Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of The Lumumba Plot
The Man Who Stole the Gods transcends reportage, marrying investigative rigour to the emotional force of great fiction. Propulsive and devastating, it traces a story of greed and violence that opens, finally, onto redemption, rendered with exceptional clarity and insight
Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Inevitable
Masterfully reported and beautifully told, The Man Who Stole the Gods is a piercing indictment of our unequal world. It reads like a thriller, starring elite curators, business moguls, despots and freedom fighters and one of the most fascinating anti-heroes in modern memory
staff writer at The New Yorker and author of Black Edge
After reading the book, you may never again look at ancient artworks in quite the same way. Thought-provoking true crime on a grand scale.
Kirkus
Paced like a thriller, this sweeping, cinematic account weaves together true crime and Asian history to shine a light on a little-explored art world scandal. It’s a breathtaking ride.
Publishers Weekly
It’s greatly reassuring that the arc of this fascinating and scrupulously researched story bends finally towards justice
Financial Times
Fascinating... reads like a thriller...the story romps along with dogged lawyers and a ludicrous, devious antagonist
The Economist
Matthew Campbell's enjoyable non-fiction thriller tells a fascinating tale
Our Five Favourite Books of the Week
Author Matthew Campbell
Narrator Nicholas Boulton
Duration 10 hours and 35 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781405989183
Format Audiobook
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Genre Art: financial aspects, Forgery, falsification and theft of artworks, History of art, Reportage, journalism or collected columns, True crime
Availability AU, GB, IE

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